As my collection of 45´s has grown I´ve started wondering how people organize/stock their collection of singles? Until now I´ve simply stocked my 45´s in a box which gives me a headache every time I´ve to find a record. Therefore i´m really interested in hearing which solutions you guys with big/bigger collections of 45´s have figured out. If you have pictures you want to share i´m really interessted!

I asked this question on the Pama forum as there was also a question about what people use for physical storage.Out of interest, why do people prefer to sort by label rather than by artist?Some people at Pama sorted by year of release.I can imagine some would sort by rhythm as well.Mark T

First by period/style (ska,dub,90's etc.) and then by label.I guess the habit of organizing by label in reggae comes from the riddim and version/dub/dj ting.When selecting you look for a next version or a tune that has more or less the same vibe as the previous and rarely you put two songs by the same artist in a row.So no use for organizing them by artist.Also in the flood of reggae releases the producer and the label become more important.Just a guess...

1) alot of tunes filed away by riddim in separate sections for different eras2) A-Z of artist one away tunes not on any known riddim3) some labels command their own sub sections-eg Jammys, Volcano, Digital B

For music from either the 60's or 70's similar to above:

1) A-Z or artists 2) separate sections for labels such as Studio 1, Treasure Isle, Joe Gibbs, Rockers, Channel One, Tuff Gong/Wailers all in A-Z artists or by riddim3) also some music by riddim

There is a bit of overlap in that a song like Garnett Silk's Lionheart on the General riddim will appear twice in my collection as I have two copies -one inside the General riddim section in the 90s and one in the Garnett Silk singles in the A-Z filing-I know it sounds confusing but has worked for me for over 20 years.

7" singles - Alphabetical by the first letter of the name or title, eg Dennis Brown is under D, Prince Fari is under P. This is by far the best method I use, I can find anything instantly, as long as I've put it back where its meant to be!

10" and 12" singles and dubplates - No order at all, can never find anything.

LPs - Alphabetical by surname, eg Dennis Brown is under B, Prince Fari is under P. Doesn't really work but have been meaning to re-order them like the singles for about 10 years.

CDs - Were once in alphabetical order but are now a bit random and unloved 'cos they only get played in the car.

I have boxes for ska, rocksteady, studio one, treasure isle, early reggae, mid to late seventies, early to mid eighties, late eighties, 1990 to 98, then boxes in more or less date order from 98 to present. I do the same for 12s and LPs.

I used to have boxes for labels/producers but i find i mix the music up a bit more if i put them together.

I have several boxes/shelves for reggae 45s and basically they are based on what I am playing. If I have not played a tune for several years it stays in the 'one day ebay maybe' box, and there are other boxes filled with stuff I am more into playing. I keep versions together if they are good enough to play out, but not if they aren't. I think my collection is geared more to having the right records with me when I play out rather than having all my Rockers' 7s in one place!

CDs, LPs and 7"s are filed alphabetically by the first letter in the first name/title. so dennis brown is filed under "d" and brigadier jerry is filed under "b". this makes finding a record pretty quick and easy, as long as it's been filed away that is.

I have 2 large boxes of both 10's and 12's, as well as boxes of a few hundred various artists LPs that have no order to them at all. been meaning to change that but never get around to doing it...

here is an old photo of the shelving/racks I had built becauseI have a partial back disability, and stooping and bending got too difficult; the 7"s are mostly in adidas shoe boxes, and the shelves slide out.

Nice setup minidub...I had kind of hoped to organize my LP's similarly (facing front for ease of browsing like in a record shop) but it didn't seem too practical...ended up going the Ikea Expedit route which is great for housing a lot of records but accessibility suffers. Oh and some ok records there too

For reggae 7's, the bulk of mine are 1990's to 2000's which are primarily organized by riddim...vintage tunes ('70's and '80's) are kind of disorganized right now but likely will eventually be alphabeticized by artist last name (ie. under 'B' for Dennis Brown)...this is how I have my 7's from other genres organized and seems to work ok for me.